The present invention relates to an information equipment. Specifically, the information equipment includes a drive device of a disk for recording information, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk and the like, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) device.
While the information equipment includes a rotating mechanism, such as a spindle fixed as piercing at the rotating center of a disk for recording information, and a rocking mechanism, such as a swing arm for moving a head for recording/reproduction of information, a spindle of a rocking fulcrum in the swing arm as the rocking mechanism is supported by two radial rolling bearings, as described, for example, in JP-A-5-135515. In the rolling bearing, a fluorine based grease excellent in lubricating property is used as a lubricating agent, and the minimum necessary amount thereof is sealed. As the fluorine based grease, one to which fine powder (for example, having a particle diameter of from 2 to 3 xcexcm) of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or the like is added, such as a PTFE fluorocarbon oil grease, PTFE fluorosilicone oil grease, PTFE fluorinated polyether oil grease and the like, is exemplified. The fluorine based grease of this type employs an appropriate amount of an ion to make uniform the dispersion of a thickener having a non-uniform particle size.
In the information equipment, among the rotation mechanism and the rocking mechanism, the fluorine based grease described above is employed in a rolling bearing used for supporting a swing arm as the rocking mechanism, for example, and thus the problems described below occur.
Firstly, because the swing arm exhibits a movement of repeatedly rocking within a prescribed range of angle, the rolling element is sometimes dragged to slip at the rolling spindle that supports it, and at this time, in the case where a fluorine based grease is used as the lubricating agent described above, breakage of the film is likely to occur between the rolling element and a race. Such breakage of the film may become a cause of occurrence of wear of the rolling element and the race -due to direct contact of the rolling element and the race.
Furthermore, in the case of the PTFE as a thickener added to the fluorine based grease, a particle diameter larger than the standard are mixed due to difficulty in selecting a operation. Also, a minute spike noise is generated from the rolling spindle, and the torque characteristics for the rocking movement of the swing arm is likely to become unstable, which becomes a cause of lowering of the positioning accuracy of a head on the recording/reproduction.
Furthermore, leakage of the fluorine based grease may occur, and in the case where the ion for uniform dispersion of the thickener, in particular, of the leaking fluorine based grease is attached to the surface of the disk for recording information to be incorporated into a protective film of the disk for information recording, a problem occurs in that it becomes an obstruction of recording/reproduction.
Furthermore, in the case where such an information equipment is used in a low pressure atmosphere, such as under vacuum, a gas is generated from the fluorine based grease, and a problem occurs in that the gas adversely affects the protective film of the disk for recording information.
Furthermore, in the case of a grease other than the fluorine based one, a problem occurs in that a hydrocarbon contained therein adversely affects the information equipment. Furthermore, in a bearing using a grease, when it is not used but allowed to stand for a long period of time, the grease is hardened to cause a problem in that the rotation torque at the beginning of use becomes large.
Therefore, an object of the invention is that in an information equipment, the lubricating property, the torque characteristics and the property of generation of dusts of a rolling bearing for supporting a rocking mechanism or a rotating mechanism are improved, so as to stabilize the operation of the recording/reproduction of information.
[Constitution]
(1) A first information equipment embodiment of the invention comprises a rocking mechanism for rocking an element of the equipment, and a rolling bearing for supporting the rocking mechanism, wherein the rolling bearing has, on at least a race surface thereof, a film comprising a fluorine-containing polymer having a functional group formed under a state having fluidity, and a thickness thereof is set at 0.2 xcexcm or less.
In the first embodiment of the invention, preferably, the rolling bearing has the film formed at least one race surfaces of an inner race and an outer race.
In the first embodiment of the invention, preferably, the functional group has high affinity to a metal.
In the first embodiment of the invention, preferably, the fluorine-containing polymer is a fluoropolyether polymer.
In the first embodiment of the invention, preferably, the fluorine-containing polymer is a polyfluoroalkyl polymer.
In the first embodiment of the invention, preferably, recording/reproduction of information is conducted to a disk for recording information having, on a surface thereof, a protective film of the same component as the film.
(2) A second information equipment embodiment of the invention comprises a rotating mechanism for rotating an element of the equipment, and a rolling bearing for supporting the rotating mechanism, wherein the rolling bearing has, on at least a race surface thereof, a film comprising a fluorine-containing polymer having a functional group formed under a state having fluidity, and a thickness thereof is set at 0.2 xcexcm or less.
(3) A third information equipment embodiment of the invention comprises a rocking mechanism for rocking an element of the equipment, and a rolling bearing for supporting the rocking mechanism, wherein the rolling bearing has, on at least a race surface thereof, a solid film comprising a fluorine-containing polyurethane polymer compound.
In the third embodiment of the invention, preferably, the rolling bearing has the film formed at least one race surfaces of an inner race and an outer race.
In the third embodiment of the invention, preferably, the fluorine-containing polyurethane polymer compound has a three-dimensional network structure.
In the third embodiment of the invention, preferably, a fluorine-containing polymer compound having fluidity is added to the fluorine-containing polyurethane polymer.
In the third embodiment of the invention, preferably, recording/reproduction of information is conducted to a disk for recording information having on a surface thereof, a protective film of the same component as the film.
(4) A fourth information equipment embodiment of the invention comprises a rotating mechanism for rotating an element of the equipment, and a rolling bearing for supporting the rotating mechanism, wherein the rolling bearing has, on at least a race surface thereof, a solid film comprising a fluorine-containing polyurethane polymer compound.
(5) A fifth information equipment embodiment of the invention comprises a head for recording/reproduction for conducting recording/reproduction of information to a disk for recording information, a rocking mechanism for moving the head by rocking, and a rolling bearing for supporting the rocking mechanism, wherein the rolling bearing has, on at least on a race surface thereof, a film of the same kind as a protective film on a surface of the disk for recording information, formed under a solid state, and the film comprises a fluorine-containing polyurethane polymer compound.
[Function]
The film according to the invention, the functional group of the fluorine-containing polymer or the three-dimensional network structure of the fluorine-containing polyurethane polymer compound is firmly adhered to the adherend surface, whereby breakage of the film and generation of dusts are difficult to occur, and the friction resistance is extremely small. Furthermore, the film does not contain the thickener having a non-uniform particle diameter or the ion for uniform dispersion of the thickener as in the conventional fluorine based grease. Moreover, when the film thickness of the film is set as thin as possible at 0.2 xcexcm or less, generation of dusts of the oily component will substantially not occur. Therefore, the operation of the rolling bearing becomes extremely smooth, and minute spike noise that occurs conventionally are not generated.
[Effect]
Accordingly, the information equipment of the invention becomes extremely smooth, and the torque characteristics stabilized, for example, a minute spike noise that occurs conventionally is not generated because a film that is difficult to obtain breakage or generation of dusts, exhibits an extremely small friction resistance. Further, because the information equipment of the invention does not contain the thickener having a non-uniform particle diameter or the ion for uniform dispersion of the thickener as in the conventional fluorine based grease that controls the thickness thereof, on a race surface of a race of a rolling bearing used in a rocking mechanism or a rotating mechanism thereof.
In the case where the information equipment of the invention comprises a disk for recording information and a head for recording/reproduction provided in the vicinity of the rolling bearing, the positional accuracy of the head for recording/reproduction and the rotating accuracy of the disk for recording information are improved because the torque characteristic of the rolling bearing for their fulcrum is stable. Moreover, even though a dust component from the film is incorporated in a protective film which is generally formed on the disk for recording information, it is not an obstruction of the recording/reproduction because the film is of the same component as the protective film.
As described herein, the invention can provide an information equipment having high reliability that exhibits an excellent performance for a long period of time.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.